MEMS and robotics: promises and problems

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have caught the imagination of the robot community as well as the general public. The excitement and promise of small, fast, capable micromechanical technology for robotics lies in being able to make extremely small machines that may be used for a variety of purposes ranging from small systems for space exploration to the wilder shores of tiny, implantable medical devices. The promise of MEMS is most evidently realized in the development of a wide variety of sensors that may be used to enhance the functionality of existing, more conventional robots, but MEMS capabilities in actuators are on the horizon, leading to the possibility of new robotics devices and systems. The paper discusses MEMS devices, the processes of making them, and some of their robotic applications, and ends with some open problems and challenges